The Scanning Code of Practice

Few shopper have ever heard of the Scanning Code of Practice.  But the way it basically works is this; if the barcode on the item you are purchasing rings up at a different price than what was on the shelf you are allowed up to $10 off the item you are purchasing.  If the item is less than $10 it's free! 

 I'd known about this for a while but finally had the chance to apply it yesterday at a Toy Superstore (while doing some Christmas shopping).  The cashiers who were helping me had no idea what I was talking about so I had to explain it to them.  Then the manager came and without any argument or complaint I scored a free Christmas gift!

Aside from trying to help you potentially save a few bucks at Christmas it reminded me a lot about our Christian lives.  So many people receive Jesus to get "saved" but don't know their rights once they've become a child of God.  They don't know there's more being a Christian than going to heaven.

That's the struggle that I face working with our inner city kids.  Worse than having poor literacy skills is their spiritual literacy.  Most of them don't know that in Christ there is healing for the pain they feel, freedom from the sin that enslaves them, guidance to live fruitful lives, and more!  Outside of the few times we meet them they rarely pick up a Bible or have any knowledge of God or biblical principles.  

On a few occasions I remember taking some of the kids to a Christian bookstore and their responses being, "Wow, I never knew there was so much Christian stuff."  None of these kids have a biblical worldview.  Do you?

Footprints in the Sand..."Where's the bus?"

Whenever you see "Footprints in the Sand" as the heading it means I'll be sharing about something amazing only God could do.  Something that just yells, "God must be walking among us".  I hope your faith faith is lifted.

I still remember my first year co-directing Camp Good News with Bonnie.  I was at the camp with some counsellors getting everything ready for the kids.  Bonnie and a few counsellors were in Toronto rounding up the kids.  We were all excited for what God was going to do.  Everything was lined up and we were ready to go.

Then the phone rang.  Bonnie was on the other end;

Bonnie: "Ivhan, we're here.  Where's the bus?"

Ivhan: "What do you mean where's the bus?"

Bonnie: "Where's the bus?  It's not here."

Ivhan: "Hang on, let me call the bus company and find out."

So I called the bus company and it turns out they had booked a driver who was on vacation that week.  After my call they scrambled to find another bus driver.  While they scrambled, I got the counsellors with me and we prayed for God to intervene.  After praying one of the counsellors pointed out a picture hanging behind me that said,

"When God wants to do something great, He begins with difficulties and when He wants to do something wonderful He starts with impossibility."

Amazingly, the bus company found a driver, but the bus would be an hour and a half late.  During that time I got a phone call from a mother asking if it was too late to sign her daughter up for camp.  I told her the bus was running late and that she could still bring her daughter to the bus pick up.

As only God could know, that girl would be one of the kids to receive Christ at camp that week.  God did many wonderful things things.

Boys and Girls in an Adult World

The kids I see always walk around tough.  They've got their swag, they've got their bling, nothing can hurt them.  Or so they would want to have us believe.  At first glance the kids I work with seem wise beyond their years.  They seem like they know how to handle the world and all that it throws at them.  But when you scratch the surface just a little, you find a boy or a girl who's scared and broken.


The kids I see are just boys and girls in adult world.  They've been exposed to situations and issues no child or person should ever face.  They've had to deal with poverty, abuse, assault, addictions, crime, murder and more. They've seen things no child should ever see.  They know things no child should ever know.  They often raise themselves and are forced to mature faster than they should.

Why is it an eight year old girl knows the details of a murder behind her building.  Details that they cops might not even know?  How are ten year olds more street smart than most adults that I know?  I admire the kids for their determination to "make it".  But in the end, they're just kids.  They're forced to deal with adult issues without the maturity or guidance to handle them properly.  They try to handle it.  But they're just kids.

Take them away for a weekend and their shoulders drop.  They feel safe and don't have to worry about what they're going to eat next.  They don't have to look over their shoulders or carry the burdens of their family.  For a few hours they can just be kids.  They laugh, they smile, they play.  It's no wonder many of the kids want to live at Camp Good News all year.



I know we can't take them away forever and I can't take them all home with me, but I'm thankful for the moments we have to be God's love to them.  For some, it will be enough to soften their hearts to make a difference.

 Your partnership in this ministry is what makes this possible.  Your prayers, your financial support make a difference.

"Maybe he sells drugs to provide for your family..."

It's very easy to look at someone who's committed a crime and call them guilty.  It's easy to point the finger, to say there was another way, to think they had a choice.  But it's not so easy when you it's your family that's hungry, when you're the one who hasn't eaten in days, when you're the one suffering.

I remember twelve year old *Jason sharing with me and some of his friends that his dad was in prison for dealing drugs.  His friend said, "Maybe he sells drugs to provide for your family, you don't really know.  Maybe it's what he had to do."  My initial reaction was, "That's just an excuse."  But I stopped and listened and realized the truth to what the boys were saying.  Jason responded, "Yeah, probably."  And as he began to think about he said, "If my dad is in prison, when he gets out he can't get a job.  And if we can't get a job he'll have to sell drugs again to make money.  But if he sells drugs he'll go back to jail.  And when he gets out he won't be able to get a job... HOW'S HE SUPPOSED TO GET OUT?"

It's a vicious cycle.  One that  twelve year old boy has to deal with.  Around this time he shared this story his mom was going to court because her "friend" came over to the house with some drugs and got busted.  *Jason has been living with his grandmother for years and doesn't live in a safe neighbourhood.

*Jason is a good kid but the negative influences around him are overpowering.  He wants to do better, but he doesn't know how, he doesn't have the support that he needs.  He's now too old for our programs and we've started to lose touch with him.  Please pray that God would send people to walk alongside to guide him.

"God doesn't live at my house..."

Slingshot Yorkdale was off a fantastic start!  We had twenty five kids from the neighbourhood come out and about twenty seven volunteers come out for the day!

You'd think twenty seven volunteers was way too much, but after you take away volunteers for snacks and lunch, worship team, and some to focus on particular kids you have just enough!  Urban ministry is all about relationship and so the more the merrier! It was especially helpful having one of regular urban volunteers Ashley McGuire there as well as CYIA Martha Desta and Caroline Karwowski from Tandridge.

It was a pretty crazy day figuring out how to work with all the kids and volunteers but it was a blast.  I shared about David and Goliath and how God can help us with our problems, the kids were then challenged to receive Jesus if they had never done so before. Nine kids responded and were counselled for salvation.

I had the joy of counselling little *Nancy.  She is only three years old but it was amazing how much she understood.  As I asked her questions and talked with her she said she wanted to pray with me.  After we prayed and she opened her eyes she said, "Where's God?!!!"  "God is in your heart, and He is everywhere."  I explained.  "God doesn't live at my house.  He lives at my grandma's house."  she answered.

"...Your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones should perish."

-Matthew 18:14

What a blessing it was to see a three year old receive Jesus and many others, the oldest being a student in Grade nine.  

We're off to a great start.  Thank you for praying for the club.

Slingshot Saturdays

I've use the term Slingshot Saturday (SS) quite frequently and thought I should share a little bit about what it is and how it came to be.

Camp Good News, our summer camp for at-risk kids, has been running for about ten years now.  Some of the kids who come to camp used to be involved in a good news club in their community, and others just showed up at camp.  If you've ever been to camp you know how special that one week can be.

A few years ago when I joined Castlefield Community Church (CCC) I met Yvette who was doing some work with Angeltree (a ministry of prison fellowship).  Yvette had a desire to run a camp for those kids.  I also had a desire to run a camp for the Camp Good News kids.  In cooperation, CEF, Angeltree, and CCC initiated a march break camp for disadvantaged children.  It was a chaotic, but exciting week at camp.  The kids were all SO happy to get to see each other again and kept asking if we could have camp every weekend!

The thought seemed fairly ridiculous to me but I couldn't shake how effective camp ministry could be and felt we had to find a way to do more.  Seeing Angeltree kids once a year wouldn't be effective ministry.  There were clubs at Jane/Woolner and Tandridge but having everyone together was special.  After some prayer I felt a monthly Saturday program would help support the clubs at Jane/Woolner and Tandridge and open the doors for continued ministry to Angeltree kids.

With a lot of support from everyone we initiated our first Slingshot Saturday in April 2009.  We easily averaged twenty five kids a week...one ten year old boy even took a forty five minute bus ride every month on his own so he could come.

Interestingly, six months after Slingshot began the clubs at Jane/Woolner and Tandridge closed because there was no one to continue the work there.  Slingshot Saturday would be the only ministry to the kids in those communities.  Only God could have seen that coming.

Why the name Slingshot Saturday?  Because the vision is to "help children overcome the giants in their lives" just like David defeated Goliath.


The kids would love something every week but I think it would lose it's "specialness".  It would also make it more difficult to find dedicated volunteers who could come week in and week out.

Two years later Slingshot Saturday has now moved to Rexdale Alliance Church which is a walk away from Tandridge and a five minute drive from the housing co-op for battered women.  I am thankful I don't have to drive an hour and a half before and after the program to pick up kids now and spend more time hanging out with them.

This Saturday, November 12th", we begin a new Slingshot program near Yorkdale mall.  There's a housing co-op there with a lot of needy kids.  One of the church members from the church we're partnering with shared that some of the kids talk about their mom sleeping with guys for money.  There is no doubt these kids are surrounded by a lot of darkness, it is my prayer that we'll be a light to them.  It is my prayer that these kids will know that, God has a plan for them, a "hope and a future."  Please pray for this.

This is My Voice..."...at least I have a place to sleep."

I'll be using "This is My Voice" as a header from time to time to share with you some of the stories of the kids in the city.


Ten year old Carol lives in a housing co-op for battered women.  She lives with her mom, two older brothers, an older sister, and someone else.  It's a small apartment.  Her family is Buddhist.  Her brother a proclaimed atheist.  Her family doesn't have much.

When CEF staff Yvette Hewitson started working at the co-op Carol was allowed to come to the after school program, but never the good news club.  However she was allowed to come to Camp Good News: Winter Rush (our March break camp).  All week Carol heard the gospel and asked lots of questions, by the end of the week she made a decision to receive Jesus as her Lord.

The following summer she was allowed to come to our summer camp because her mother so how happy she was.  But Carol still wasn't allowed to go to good news club.  By the end of the week of camp, sitting around a campfire I asked Carol, "So what did you learn this week?"

Carol: "I learned that there is only one God and all those other gods aren't real."  She later said to another counsellor, "What am I going to do when I get home?  My mom's not going to believe me when I tell her those other gods aren't real."  We never taught these things at camp, God just worked in her heart.

I went to pick her up in the fall for Slingshot and asked if she'd be allowed to have a Bible.  She said,
"No, I'm not allowed to have a Bible, but read those comic books Bibles you guys gave me.  I also sing the songs I learned at camp and pray when I'm in the shower or no one's around."

At our programs Carol is often the only one to come up to me and say, "That was good."  "What was good?" I would ask.  "What we just did.  The stuff about the Bible and learning more about God."

One day I had this conversation with Carol.
Me: "So do you have your own room?
Carol: "No."
Me: "Do you share a room?"
Carol: "No."
Me: "So where do you sleep?"
Carol: "I sleep in the hallway under the counter.  But it's okay, at least I have a place to sleep."

I've since learned that on her birthdays there is never any cake, presents or singing.  "It's just like any other day." she says.  The first time she ever wore a dress was when one of the counsellors lent her one at camp for the banquet.

I was humbled by her gracious response.  Carol is now twelve years old and continues to grow spiritually.  She is still the only one in her family to have received Jesus but is steady in her faith.  She will soon be joining our Leaders in Training Program.  Life is not easy for her but she rarely complains.  Her light grows more and more each time I see her.  Her desire to follow Jesus never seems to fade.  During lunch at Slingshot one Saturday I saw her in tears all by herself in the eating area.  A counsellor went over to check on her and found out she was upset because she felt she had made a mistake and that it wasn't a good example if she wanted to be a Leader in Training.  She inspires me.

Please pray for Carol to continue to grow in her faith and for her family to come to Jesus.

Black and White???

For as long as I can remember I've always been a black and white kind of guy.  It's either right or wrong, no in between.  But ever since I got started in urban ministry I've been living in the grey zone.  That's not to say that I've compromised my principles, but rather that issues are so much more complex than what I was used to.

How do you deal with...
...a child who curses you up and down and tells you to go to hell...only to realize he's releasing his built up anger toward his absent father
...a girl who gets pregnant when all she was really looking for was love.
...a girl who steals because she is hungry.
...siblings who show no respect to authority because their is no discipline at home
...sending kids home from camp for misbehaving when all you're doing is sending them back to very place they learned to misbehave

If I am to effectively minister to urban kids I can't be black and white because the right answer is not always clear.  If a kid misbehaved at a church camp I'd send him home because he'd be going back to loving parents and a supportive church.  If a kid misbehaves at our camps...sending him home teaches him nothing, but keeping him doesn't send the right message to the other campers either.  It's a tough ministry and one where you have to be dependent on the Holy Spirit, ALL the time.  It's definitely stretched me a lot more than I expected.

This past summer we had a few of our older kids get themselves in trouble, enough so the initial reaction would have been to send them home.  But after some discussion and prayer we ended up letting them stay at camp.  They would serve on the service team (take out trash, clean bathrooms, etc.) and do Bible studies with myself or another leader.  For their time with me we went through Romans 7-9.  I didn't know what to expect but it ended up being one of my highlights this past summer.  Most of them took it seriously and thought really deeply about God's        
                                                      Word, sin and how it impacted their lives.

I really believe the Lord showed us what to do in that time to reach them.  If the Lord ever brings me to mind, would you just pray that God would continue to give me more wisdom in this ministry?


I love what St. Athanasius said...

"The justice of God demanded that man be punished for His sins.  The mercy of God demanded that man be forgiven.  In God's wisdom He sent His Son Jesus do die on the cross for our sins so that we might be shown both justice and mercy."  (or something like that)

"...the desires of your heart..."

It's funny how you can never figure out God's plan for your life or what's really going on in your heart.  As a teenager I often thought it would be fun to be a camp counsellor.  Hang out with kids, play games, etc... When I became a Christian at sixteen I started to think about it more seriously but never did it because I always felt God wanted me to do ministry at my church over the summer (looking back I think He wanted to teach me some things).  As much as I wanted to be a counsellor I knew obedience to God was more important.

At eighteen I also knew I was going to be a missionary, I just knew it was something God was calling me to.  When, where, how, I had no idea.  I went to Costa Rica for four and a half months for an international development co-op which was kind of like a mission but I knew there was more.

Then at twenty-four a co-worker invited me to go to Spain with her to serve on the service team at L'Arcada, a Christian camp.  My duties would include cleaning bathrooms, doing dishes, mowing the lawn, clearing branches, taking out trash etc. for two and a half months.  Not exactly my idea of missions, but I felt God's leading nonetheless.

For about six weeks I ended up being the head of the maintenance team (and I am no handy man by any stretch of the imagination) and discovered that everything we do is worship to God is we have the right attitude.  Then in the seventh week, a number of counsellors had got themselves in some trouble and were all sent home just before camp started and I was given the opportunity to be a counsellor...in Spanish!  Thankfully I'd remembered much of my Spanish from Costa Rica.

Only God knew that my first true camp counsellor experience would be as a counsellor, in Spain, in Spanish! Incredibly enough, through the grace of God eight of the nine kids (nine and ten year olds) in my cabin received Jesus by the end of the week.  I asked the one boy who hadn't received Jesus why he decided not to, and his response was, "I don't know.  I don't know if I believe this stuff.  Can a man really be raised from the dead?"  For the first time I realized that kids understand the gospel and when explained properly they just don't blindly choose to follow Jesus.

Only a few years after that experience did I find myself called to serve at CEF.  In my second year there I served as a camp counsellor at Teen Camp.  The next couple of years I was co-leading with Leslie Shillinglaw and Bonnie Clark as they trained me for inner city ministry.  To this day I look up to them and consider them the "mothers" of CEF's urban ministry as the continue to sacrifice and reach out to disadvantaged children.  And now for the last four years I have had the privilege of directing Camp Good News, serving with some amazing people, and reaching some incredible kids.  Never would I have guessed that I would be blessed with this opportunity.


"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:4

"Take Me Home!"

I had no idea what to expect in my first year as the Youth Director of CEF.  All I had in front of me was the names of thirty young people (I'd only met two of them) and a schedule of what the Summer Training Institute (STI) would look like.

I was still getting to know the staff and really didn't have a clue what I was doing.  I remember the day when we took the two hour drive to Simcoe, Ontario for STI and arrived at the facility.  From the car I looked around and quickly said to Charlene, "Take me home!"  I was nervous, maybe even a little scared.  Could I do the job? Would the teenagers accept me?

Thankfully it only took a few hours for me to settle in after Charlene left me all alone.  It was an amazing first summer with some amazing teenagers I still keep in touch with today.  It would be the first STI of many to come (this past summer was my 7th!).  

Our end of summer reunion (Welcome Home) was also memorable because it was the year of the massive rainstorm.  The CEF office (in Markham at the time) parking lot was flooded, cars were ruined and businesses waterlogged.  

It's a Long Road...

Devonte in the SHAQ sweater

One of the first things I did when I joined CEF was visit a Good News Club (GNC).  For those of you who aren't familiar with a GNC, a GNC is a 1-2 hour program for (mostly unchurched) kids.  During the club the kids get help with their homework, sing songs, memorize Bible verses and learn Bible lessons.  but maybe most importantly, for that hour or two in the week the children know they are loved.

At the end of the club a six year old boy named Devonte walked up to Leslie (the club teacher) and said that he wanted to receive Jesus.  For the next fifteen minutes I saw Leslie sit down with Devonte, open the Bible and ask him questions about the gospel; Why do you want to receive Jesus?  What is sin?  What did Jesus do for you?  How was Jesus different?...

To my surprise Leslie didn't just say "Okay, repeat after me."  No, instead, using her Bible, she made sure Devonte understood what he was doing before teaching him how to pray to receive Jesus.  And there I sat watching six year old Devonte pray to receive Jesus.

How many Christians would there really be if we made sure everyone truly understood the gospel before leading them to the Lord?  I remember inviting kids to receive Jesus on several occasions and telling them to raise their hands if they wanted to.  There's nothing really wrong with that, except that I never knew if the kids knew what they were doing.

I think too often Christians focus too much on numbers and getting people "saved" that a lot of people who end up making the "decision" don't fully know what they're doing.  How often have we heard people encouraged to receive Jesus for reasons such as: if you want healing; if you want your marriage to be restored; if you want financial blessing; if you want this; if you want that...

Lost in all of that is that the only reason anyone should ever receive Jesus is because they are a sinner and realize that they need Jesus to save them from the punishment of their sins.  No wonder we have so many nominal Christians.

"For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should never die, but have eternal life."  John 3:16.

Me and Devonte at Jr. camp this summer

Fast forward six years, where's Devonte now?  He's had his ups and downs but he's been the most consistent kid in our inner city ministry.  He's grown a lot spiritually and is viewed as a leader among his peers, he is learning to be a man of truth and is entering his second year in our Leaders in Training program.  He is a leader of leaders and the Lord is capturing more of His heart each day.  There is no limit to how God can use him.  Please keep praying for him.

Pay Attention!!!

During my first year at CEF's Summer Training Institute (STI) we went on a field trip to the Sand Hills (if you've never been you have to go!).  The guys were trying to take down Vance, one of our "stronger" staff members.  Here's what could happen if you don't pay attention:

I thought you'd like to know that the guy who got hit (Trenton Walker) served as a lifeguard at Camp Good News a couple years ago, and he and his wife now work full time with CEF Quebec.  The guy who got thrown into Trenton, Nate Lai, volunteered as a counsellor at Camp Good News for a couple years, is now working full time and moved to Toronto.  He volunteers regularly at Slingshot Saturday and joins me in mentoring some of the boys.

My Gideon's Fleece

When I first read about Gideon's fleece (the story where Gideon asks God to make the fleece wet and the ground dry in the morning and vice versa) I thought I'd never pray that prayer.  That just didn't seem right to me. Well, one day I actually did.

When I started with CEF it was only part time.  After a summer of ministry with them they asked me to come on full-time as the the Youth Director.  The thought of raising financial support for a living was pretty daunting.  I'd only been married for a couple of years and I had a mortgage coming in about year.  Would it be faith or foolishness?

For months I delayed the decision until CEF finally asked me for an answer.  It was about May 27th, I was tossing and turning and couldn't sleep because of this big decision.  Finally I said, "God, if you want me to do this I want $500 in support before the end of the month."  Since I really hadn't told anyone what I was thinking, except for a couple of friends, I figured I'd be looking for another job in a few days time.

The next day I went to work and our administrator said, "Ivhan, support came in for you."  I brushed her off thinking it was a joke (even though I didn't tell her what I prayed).  She was so insistent I finally said, "Okay, show me the paper and then I'll believe you."  And sure enough on the paper it said,

"Support of Ivhan Rusli.  $500."

I was shocked.  Isn't it funny how we're shocked when God answers our prayers?   But even after that I wasn't convinced.  O me of little faith.  The next week a guy I'd never met, from a town I'd never even heard of sent in a support cheque for me for $50 with the note "It never ceases to amaze me how God is working."  How did this guy know what I was thinking about doing and what I needed?  Sadly I found out he just passed away last month at the age of 99.  I guess I'll have to ask Him when I get to the kingdom.

Christian Youth in Action (CYIA)
Fall Retreat in '08.

Soon after that I accepted the position as Youth Director and started raising my financial support.  It's been about seven years and I've only reached about 50% of my necessary monthly support but God has been faithful in meeting my needs.  Support has most often come from the most unexpected places, from the most unexpected people.

I'm learning to not put God in a box.

Truly the Lord is my provider.

The beginning of a journey...

Ever sing the song "How Great is Our God" by Chris Tomlin?  I remember going to speak to my church youth group one Sunday when this song was led.  I wanted to sing, but I couldn't.  I asked God "Why can't I sing this song with my whole heart?"  And God responded, "It's because you haven't been living a life that requires me to be great.  You've been doing things on your own strengths, on the gifts and abilities that I've given you."  Then I think I prayed asking God, "Then help me to live a life that requires You to be great."  I didn't realize how soon God was going to answer that prayer.


In this blog I hope to share with you the journey God has been taking me on and and many of the amazing things I have see Him do in the lives of those around me.  Much of what I've shared I have put in my quarterly prayer letters (if you don't receive them and would like to drop me a line), but they could never capture all that really happens.  So, at my wife's encouragement, here's my story.  I've started near the beginning for those who are new...may you be blessed and encouraged as you read.

When I was eighteen years old I was convinced that God had called me to be a missionary.  When?  Where?  How?  I had no idea except that it was in His hands.  When I finished University I thought God would magically open the door for me to ministry and I'd be set for the reset of my life.  How wrong I was.  It was another six years until God saw that I was ready.

I was working at a Christian bookstore for a number of years but knew that God had called me to something more I so I began handing out resumes everywhere in what would be last year there.  I applied to hotels, various businesses, and TESL courses.  But I held back from applying for youth pastor positions (or anything like that) simply because I felt it was something God should call me to.

CEF was a place I applied to in November of 2004.  Two months went by and I heard nothing.  Then in February, Charlene (my wife) happened to be off sick and a sequence of events like this happened:

Bookstore manager: "Ivhan, can we meet in five minutes?" 
Me: "Sure." (what else would you say to your boss?)  

Phone rings.  I answer.  
Charlene: "CEF just called, they want you to come in for an interview." 

Me and *Chanel.  One of the many kids
 I would come to know and love serving
with CEF.

Me: "Okay, I'll call them back soon." 
I go to meet with my manager.  
Bookstore manager: "Ivhan, we've had cut backs and we're going to have to let you go."  End of conversation.

I called CEF, have an interview the next day and start two weeks later, right after finishing with the bookstore.  It was only the beginning of seeing God be great.